Hawaii: all the main islands except Kaho`olawe.
Elsewhere: pantropical.
This is an abundant native species. Become familiar with it because you will see it everywhere, except in very wet areas or high on Mauna Loa. It may be a short shrub or a large tree. This is another of Hawaii's "plastic" species.
| Shrubs or small trees, 2 - 8 m tall.
The trees typically have a single trunk. |
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| The leaves are narrow
and tend to be wider toward the tip. The tip itself may be pointed or
rounded (Stone and Pratt 1994: 15).
They have a shiny coating. |
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| Look for flowers at the
end of the branch.
Sexes are found on separate plants. The winged fruits range in color from nearly white to dark red. The dry fruit (capsules) are about 1 cm long. Note the 2 to 4 wings. |
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It grows almost anywhere there is a seed source (Wagner et al. 1990: 1228).
This species is fire tolerant and will re-sprout from the base after a fire (Stone and Pratt 1994: 15).